US completed the process of setting up observation posts in northern Syria amid remarks by the US envoy to the International Alliance on the US forces duration of the stay in Syria
The Pentagon announced Tuesday that it had completed the establishment of observation posts in northern Syria near the Turkish border to prevent any confrontation between the Turkish army and the Kurdish units, in violation of the request made by Ankara officially to Washington to renounce the establishment of these points.
“By order from Defense Secretary Jim Matisse, the United States has set up monitoring posts in the north-eastern border region of Syria to address the security concerns of our NATO ally, NATO”, said Rob Manning, Pentagon spokesman.
“We take Turkey’s security concerns seriously and we are committed to coordinating our efforts with Turkey to stabilize the north-east of Syria”, he said.
Turkey announced on Friday that it had asked the United States to give up these checkpoints.
Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar handed over the request to the United States special representative on the Syrian conflict, James Jeffrey, during a meeting in Ankara, the defense ministry said in a statement.
On November 24, Akar sharply criticized the United States’ intention to set up observation posts in northern Syria to prevent any confrontation between the Turkish army and Kurdish People’s Protection Units, the backbone of Syria’s democratic forces.
“I support the view that these measures will further complicate an already complex situation”, Akar said.
“We have told our American counterparts of our displeasure several times”.
He said he had recently discussed the issue with US Chief of Staff Joseph Dunford.
According to Washington, the aim of establishing these points is to ensure that Syrian democratic forces will not withdraw from the battle against an oppressive organization and “to be able to crush the rest of the geographical succession”.
On Friday, Akar called on the United States to end its cooperation with the People’s Protection Units, stressing that his country would not accept a “terrorist corridor” on its border.
The US announcement of the completion of observation points on the northern border of Syria with the confirmation of the US envoy to the international coalition against the Islamic State Organization, Brett McGurk, that the United States will continue to remain in Syria until the formation of “internal security forces”; to ensure the continued maintenance of gains that have been achieved Against the organization of the Islamic state.
As stated in statements made by the US official, Tuesday, during a press conference held by the State Department, in Washington, which dealt with the latest state of war against the Islamic state.
McGurk explained that military operations against the Islamic state in Syria are continuing, noting that the presence of the organization there fell to 1 percent.
He added that his country is doing a lot of work in order to continue the gains that have been achieved after Syria’s cleansing of the organization of the Islamic state “completely”.
“Our military objective is to completely defeat the Islamic state organization, and we remain in Syria until the formation of internal security forces to ensure that the gains made are maintained”, he said in response to a question about the date of the withdrawal of the international coalition led by his country from Syria.
In the same context, McGuck replied to the question of why the process of eliminating the organization of the Islamic state, which had been imposed on a small area in the region for so long, was caused by the fact that the organization’s militants were wearing explosive belts and planting hand-made explosives in the ground” he said.
